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<title>The Battle of the Tea Leaves by FireEye</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28213539">The Battle of the Tea Leaves</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireEye/pseuds/FireEye'>FireEye</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy VI</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 01:07:49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>380</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28213539</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireEye/pseuds/FireEye</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Celes finds herself in the unfamiliar territory of being loved.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Celes Chere/Setzer Gabbiani</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Yuletide Madness 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Battle of the Tea Leaves</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/runicmagitek/gifts">runicmagitek</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was a knock on her door, startling Celes from her reverie.</p><p>Her hair was still damp, and she had barely gotten her clothes on when she’d gotten lost her reflection.  The knock itself was perfunctory – Setzer ought to have known by now that she didn’t give a damn whether he knocked or not, and certainly did by the fact that he invited himself in without her answering.</p><p>He kissed her forehead, almost as a feint to place the box he was carrying on the table in front of her.</p><p>She blinked.</p><p>First at him.</p><p>Then at the box.</p><p>It was small but heavily adorned with ribbons, wrapped in such a way that obscured whatever might have been within it.  She made no move to open it, merely raised an eyebrow at him.</p><p>“Spoilsport,” he teased.  Retreating to the couch, he seated himself to lounge.  “I got you more of that Jidooran Grey Rose.”</p><p>Celes eyed the box blankly.</p><p>“...why?”</p><p>“Hmm?  Because you said that you liked it.  Unless you were simply telling me that to safeguard my fragile heart.”</p><p>“I <em>did</em> like it.”  That much was true.  “But... I...”</p><p>It was tea.  She didn’t understand why he would go out of his way to procure more of it simply because of that.</p><p>“Unaccustomed to receiving gifts, are we?”</p><p>“It’s just tea.”</p><p>Setzer sighed.  Rolling forward to his feet, he crossed the room to stand behind her.  Reaching over her shoulder, he picked the comb up off the vanity table.</p><p>“It is just tea,” he agreed. “And,” he added, with a touch of solemnity, “we are not fighting.”</p><p>It was true.</p><p>They weren’t fighting.</p><p>The problem became when she didn’t know how <em>not</em> to.</p><p>He started humming, softly, under his breath, as he set to tending her hair.  It was a simple enough task, and one she was perfectly capable of doing herself.  His touch was soft enough, teasing out all the small tangles so gently that she didn’t even feel it, but she could have done it faster.</p><p>But... that wasn’t the point, was it?</p><p>“This is all very new to me,” Celes admitted.</p><p>“Yes, I can see how it would be,” he told her reflection in the mirror.  Smiling faintly, he assured her, “One day at a time.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p><span class="small">...i mean the joke could be on me and she could have read all the whatever-passes-for-romance novels in vector, but...</span>.</p><p>I hope that it is cute.  &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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